Kucinich: Hill Input Imperative on Libya

Ohio Democratic Rep. Dennis Kucinich says he is adamant that President Barack Obama should have consulted with Congress before taking military action in Libya, even if it was a direct response to the downing of Pan Am flight 103 – because “he is not a king.”

“Well, if the president wanted to take this action pursuant to what happened on the Pan Am jet, then he should have told Congress – but he didn’t say anything to Congress,” Kucinich told Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly Monday. “It’s about the Constitution. The president should have come to Congress. That's my irreducible position.

“You have to come to Congress if you’re going to attack another country. He didn’t do that –that’s not a small matter,” Kucinich said. “And I’m not going to back off of that.”

O’Reilly asked if when Obama returns from his South American and Central American “jaunt,” and explains to Congress why he took on Libya, would Kucinich support the military action against dictator Moammar Gadhafi – especially if is meant to send a message to terrorists seeking to harm the United States.

“No, as a matter of fact, I'll be moving forward with an amendment [to] the continuing resolution to cut off funds for the Libyan attack,” Kucinich said. “I agree with you that an unspoken part of this operation is to knock Gadhafi out. But are we willing to pay the price in U.S. blood and treasure?

“Well, you know, that’s one thing to say no matter who you are we're going to come and get you – and you do that as a police action. It’s another thing to launch a full-scale attack against another country that, you know, which did not threaten us,” he continued. “There is no immediate or imminent threat to the United States. The president has to come to Congress, Bill. There is no way of getting away from that.”

Kucinich called U.S. intervention in Iraq and Afghanistan a “disaster,” adding that Libya will turn out to be another catastrophic move.

“This intervention in Libya is not going to turn out the way you think it will. It’ll be another disaster,” Kucinich said. “We have to stop spending the treasure of the United States in these military adventures and start taking care of things here at home, Bill.

“I’m not willing to be the policeman of the world. But that’s my opinion. He can’t do it on his own. He’s not a king,” he said. “He is a president and he has to abide by the Constitution which doesn’t give him unilateral authority to attack another nation.”